There are currently several horizontal and vertical decorative finishing materials that exist in the marketplace and that can be used in residential and/or commercial settings. Among those decorative finishing materials that are the most popular include synthetic deformable cast polymer materials having a gloss or high-gloss coating, which include, but are not limited to, cultured marble, cultured onyx, and cultured granite. These materials are extremely popular for use on kitchen and bathroom surfaces, such as countertops, sinks, bathtubs, showers, etc. Other uses for such deformable cast polymer materials include interior finishing elements (e.g., ceiling and wall coverings, facings, doors, moldings, window trimmings); furniture products (e.g., tables, chairs, shelving, and coat racks); illuminating devices (e.g., lamps, lighting fixtures, etc.); hardware accessories (e.g., plate covers for light switches and electrical sockets, knobs, picture or mirror frames, etc.); kitchen items (e.g., utensils, plates, etc.); bathroom items (e.g., soap dishes and dispensers); visual display items (e.g., signage, artwork, sculptures, etc.); and various other items.
Of these deformable cast polymer decorative finishing materials, cultured marble is probably the most popular amongst consumers due to its relatively inexpensive price, looks, and its ease of maintenance. The manufacturing of cultured marble is well known in the art. Generally, cultured marble comprises a polyester product having a translucent gel coat product sprayed onto a glass mold and allowed to dry. Once the coating is dry, a mixture of a marble dust and a polyester resin are poured into the mold and vibrated to allow the air bubbles to migrate away from the surface of the gel coat to the top or backside of the marble substrate. Typically these marble substrates have a color and a type of color pattern stirred into the second stage of this process to imitate marble veins. The cultured marble substrates are then allowed to cure until hard, at which time they undergo a finishing step, including stripping the substrate of any sharp edges, wherein the cultured marble substrate is ready for installation. Other deformable cast polymer decorative finishing materials are manufactured in a similar manner. For example, if cultured granite is desired, specially formulated chips will be blended together to make a salt and pepper looking cultured granite substrate. As such, the finished look of these decorative finishing materials may include solids or various patterns or designs.
In recent years, with the development of various printing techniques, it has been desirable to further finish a deformable cast polymer article by printing one or more images or patterns thereon. One of the more common printing techniques known in the art is referred to as heat transfer printing, which is the practice of printing onto various items, such as textiles or plastics, using dye sublimation. Dye-sublimation comprises an image or pattern printed onto an image transfer medium with a subliming dye or ink. Once an appropriate image is formed on the image transfer medium, the medium is pressed against the item on which the print is to be transferred and heated for a brief period of time, whereby the ink is vaporized and transferred to the item. The dye penetrates into the surface of the item, forming the design image or pattern supported on the image transfer medium. Other sublimation printing techniques are also well known in the art that involve a similar technique.
With the recent advent of digital printing techniques and systems, it is now possible to obtain high-resolution color images and to transfer these images onto such items, such as textiles and plastics, wherein the images comprise a high optical density. However, dye-sublimation using digital printing techniques is a relatively new concept and is continuously being developed and improved. There are several examples of systems and techniques for digital printing with dye-sublimation available in the art, many of which are provided by Sawgrass Technologies, Inc.
Although printing onto textiles and other similar items using one or more sublimation techniques is well known and has been carried out with a large degree of success, up until now, similar efforts to print onto a deformable cast polymer article having a coating thereon, such as cultured marble, have proven difficult and virtually unworkable, especially for substrates having a relatively large size. Difficulty in printing on deformable cast polymer articles arises in part from the limitations in the system and methods employed for printing, but more so to the difficult inherent characteristics in the deformable cast polymer article or material itself. One problem with printing onto a deformable cast polymer article stems from the fact that a deformable cast polymer article comprises an uneven surface that does not lend itself well to printing, except if the article is of a relatively small size. Moreover, it is difficult to achieve consistent optical density throughout the deformable cast polymer article.
Another associated problem during digital printing onto deformable cast polymer articles is blurring, which may be generally thought of as sublimation at undesirable times caused by the existence of excess residual gasses lodged within the image transfer medium. Excess gas, which is ink, may cause a “ghost image” to appear in the event there is a slight move in the media when the pressure of the platen or printing press is relieved. Blurring can also be caused if the media is not properly removed from the printing press. In typical dye-sublimation printing the media is only used a single time. However, it is possible to get a blurring effect from the left over gas from the image transfer. Blurring may also be a result of the physical properties of deformable cast polymers. During the printing process, the article will expand with the heat. However, the media carrying the image does not expand, thus creating a tendency for the image to be blurred.